Return of the Order
by stargazer84
Summary: The Dark Lord is back. And it's up to the new Order to discover what he's up to. But before they can work together Hermione and Ron need to put rnthe past behind them, and learn to come forward with their feelings...before it's too late.
1. And so it Begins

Ok, this is my first Harry Potter story, so please be gentle. Anyways, it figures that I come up with this story when I should really be studying for my finals next week. Oh well. R/R. Enjoy!! SR

Return of the Order

Chapter 1: And so it Begins 

It was an unusually September, as the sun shined brightly upon the school grounds. Students were basking in the warmth all while sticking their noses in their books, and putting quill to parchment. The week was coming to a close, and the students and staff were looking forward to a relaxing weekend. Little did they know, the worst was about to come.

Footsteps raced down the cool, dark hallways of the old castle. Distant voices of students and professors echoed through the halls as the determined footsteps made their way to the Charms classroom. A young female voice was now becoming clearer as the two pairs of feet stopped just outside the door.

"Stop, stop, before you poke someone's eye out. You're saying it wrong, it le-vee-OH- sa, not levi-o-SA…" the voice said to a young student. " Like this, Wingarduim Leviosa!"

The two figures watched as the young witch performed a perfect levitation charm. Soon after young voices filled the air as well as feathers. It was a few moments later when a new voice interrupted the class.

"Miss Granger, a word." A smug, arrogant voice demanded.

Hermione took her focus off the feather and directed it towards the doorway. There she saw Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall, both with tight-lipped faces and firm stares. Hermione nodded and said, "I want you all to practice the pronunciation of this charm, and be able to perform it by Monday. You will be graded on your performance. Class dismissed."

Slight groans could be heard from the first years as they collected their belongings and made their way outside to the sunny grounds. As the last student left the classroom, Hermione joined her fellow educators out in the hall.

"Now then, what is so urgent that I had to dismiss my class early?" Hermione asked with slight irritation.

"Well it seems, _Professor _Granger, that Hogwarts will once again need the famous trio to save the day." Snape spat at her.

Hermione stared at him for a moment, quick to retaliate, when the nature of his statement finally sank in. She then looked to McGonagall for answers to all the questions that were formulating in her head.

"He's back Miss Granger, along with more Death Eaters. The Headmaster requests that the three of you are to meet with him tomorrow morning."

Hermione broke her gaze with her old transfiguration professor and stared at the floor. 'The three of us.' She thought with slight insecurity. She had not seen Harry or Ron since the day they left Hogwarts. She knew that Harry had, without delay, moved out of his Aunt and Uncle's flat, and was now in his second out of three years of training to be an Auror. From what she had heard Harry had become Madeye Moody's "apprentice" and he was still telling Harry to stop putting his wand in his pocket. There was no doubt in Hermione's mind that Harry would become part of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She knew that it was his means of payback for his parents.

Then there was Ron. Sure they had had their share of rows, but the last one they had was the cause of their falling out. It was their last week of school, and Hermione came across a secret that was not meant for her eyes. It was the night that Hermione found Ron's journal.

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Hermione had spent the last few hours in the library studying for her final exams, and was now on her way back to the common room. It was quite throughout the halls, mostly because the majority of the students were in the Great Hall finishing the last of their homework. Hermione made her way into the quite common room, and sat in her favorite armchair in front of the fire. She sat there taking in the warmth of the flames, and watched as they danced within the fireplace. It was nice to actually be able to sit and relax without the worries of schoolwork. Her eyes lazily gazed around the red room, until they fell upon a brown leather book. Curious, she picked it up.

Ron sat in the Great Hall adding the finishing touches to his Care of Magical Creatures essay. Ron had come to realize that he, like his older brother Charlie, had a knack for taking care of animals. It was after he found out that Scabbers was in fact Peter Pettigrew, that he was more cautious with his animals, and grew a fond to learning about new creatures of the magical world. He hadn't told anyone, except his family, but he planned on spending the summer with Charlie in Romania to study dragons. Finally finished, Ron started to collect his things when he realized he didn't have his journal.

_"-although I hate to fight with her, and I can't stand the thought of hurting her in any way, I love to see that fire in her eyes. There's just so much passion that I just want to take her in my arms and hold her throughout the night."_

Once Hermione opened the book, she knew that she should have put it back, but as she flipped through the pages a picture of her and Ron came into sight. It was in their third year and they were standing by the fence by the Shrieking Shack. After a few seconds they looked at each other, and shared a shy smile. Hermione smiled at the picture and flipped to a more recent date.

_"-Her hands were so gentle as she did her task that I longed to feel those same fingers just comb through my hair, and I just wanted to push those stray pieces of hair out of her face so I could brush my fingertips across her beautiful face. Oh bloody hell, I need to tell her."_

_"-just when I was brave enough to tell her, just when I was ready to accept any response that she would give me when I came out to say, 'Hermione, I love you…'_

Hermione froze. Her eyes couldn't leave that sentence. She just couldn't believe it. Ron, her best friend since their first year was in love with her? Why had he never said anything?

"Oh god." She whispered.

He ran. Through the halls, into his classrooms, searching by his desks, and on the floor. Running back through the halls he ran into Draco Malfoy, and received nothing but a death glare and a snide remark, which, for the first time in seven years, was a wonderful thing.

He searched most of the castle. His last resort was to look in his room, which he prayed that it was just under his pillow. . Taking two steps at a time he paused to give the Fat Lady the password.

"……Lemon……Drops……" He panted.

He pushed aside the portrait, which caused the Fat Lady to let out a startled cry. He was just about to run right up to his room, when he saw Hermione on the couch with tears in her eyes. He frowned as he stepped towards her ready to ask her what was wrong, when he saw his journal in her hands. He froze, unsure of what to do or what to say. All he knew, was that his legs wanted to take him out of there, hoping that she wouldn't see him. Unfortunately for him, luck wasn't on his side that night

She felt a presence near her, and she turned to look. There he was, standing there like the Dark Lord just apparated right in front of him. She slowly stood up holding the journal in her hands as if she were afraid to drop it.

"Ron… is this true?" she whispered.

He wouldn't look at her. He just stood there glaring at his journal as if it had betrayed him after all these years.

"What are you doing with that? Where did you get it?" he sneered.

"I…I was just going to lie down on the couch and I thought that it was just a book so I opened it and…"

"Yea well it's not." Ron interrupted as he snatched the journal away from her, making her jump at his actions. "You know, there are just some books that you can't read Hermione." And he started to walk towards the boys dormitory.

"Is it true though?" she asked.

"What?!? About me always wanting to be near you?! How I wanted to do nothing more than look at you all day?! How I wanted to tell you everyday for the past seven years that I love you?!" He screamed.

Hermione just stood there to afraid to move, but reluctantly gave him a small nod.

"Then yes it is true, but this isn't how I wanted you to find out Hermione!" He yelled as he shook his journal.

"Ron…I…"

"No, Hermione! Just…just leave me alone" he said as he entered the boy's dormitory, and up to his room, leaving Hermione alone in the common.

"But…I love you too." She whispered at the closed door.

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She didn't see him again until their last day at Hogwarts, and even then he wouldn't look or speak to her. Later on she went to look for him in the common room, but Harry had told her that he had already left for Romania.

The last she had heard, Ron was in Scandinavia studying the habitat of Bowtruckles, so that local wandmakers can access the trees, whose wood is of wand quality, that these small stick like creatures guard.

"Miss Granger…HERMIONE!!"

Hermione snapped out memory lane, to find that she was still standing in front of Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall who were staring at her with concern.

"Oh, I'm sorry. What were you saying?" she asked.

"Seven o'clock, in the Headmaster's office. Would you like me to get you a rememball?" Snape replied.

"No, thank you, Professor Snape. I'll be there."

The two older professors turned and began to walk down the hall, leaving Hermione alone in her thoughts. She stood there looking out at the grounds watching various students scurry about. She drew a deep breath, closed her eyes and let the warm breeze caress her face and make her lose strands of hair dance across her neck. As she released the air from her lungs, two words followed.

"Bloody hell."


	2. The Reunion

sorry it took so long for me to put this chap up but with exams and holidays and all, procrastination is in the air. so with out further ado.... R&R

Chapter 2: The Reunion

The next morning brought rain, cooler temperatures, and two expected guests to the wizarding school. The carriage pulled up to the front of the castle, and the wizard occupying it came out. His robes were slightly wrinkled; hair astray, dark circles resided under his spectacled eyes, and a wand was protruding from his pocket. He lifted his head to the crying clouds and let their tears fall upon his face. The rain cooled his lightning bolt scar, and washed away exhaustion. He brought his gaze down to the steps in front of him and released a calming sigh as one thought came to his mind.

'I'm home.'

Harry entered through the double oak doors, and into the large, cavernous room. Harry remembered the first time he had entered this room. He had just had the pleasure of meeting Draco Malfoy, and they were being filed into the Great Hall. He remembered looking up in the Entrance Hall and noticing that the ceilings were so high that it was barely visible. And even to this day he had a hard time seeing it.

He slowly crossed the Entrance Hall and made his way to the wide marble staircase. As he made his way up to the second floor he glanced at nearby portraits. Many still seemed to be dozing, while others were visiting a nearby friend for an early morning conversation. Rounding the corner, Harry made his way to the statue of a gargoyle.

"Banana Fritters." Harry said and awaited as the spiral wooden stairs appeared.

Making his way up, he opened the door to the large circular office. He noticed that not much had changed in the office over the past two years. The silver instruments still stood upon spindle-legged tables and they were still whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke. The Sorting Hat was still sitting upon a shelf behind the Headmaster's Desk. And Fawkes was lightly snoring on his perch behind the door.

"I forgot just how loud these pictures could snore." A voice said from across the room.

Harry turned to the source and saw a tall, well built young man staring up at the portraits of the old headmasters, and headmistresses. Harry made his way over to the young man.

"Yeah, but I'd take their snoring over the Fat Lady's singing any day." Harry replied as he stood next to his old friend. The tall redheaded man laughed and lightly slapped Harry on the back.

"Good to see you, Harry." Ron said.

"It's good to see you to, Ron." Harry replied as he shook Ron's hand. Yet as he gripped it he felt a very tough texture surrounding Ron's hand. "What happened to your hand?"

"Actually, it's my wrist," Ron said as he pulled up his robe's sleeve to reveal a cast that went half way up his freckled arm. "I was at a muggle's farm in Ireland, just two days ago, and they had bit of a nogtail problem."

"Nogtail? What's that?" Harry asked.

" Nasty buggers. They sorta look like a pig, only with long leg, and their wicked fast and very hard to catch. These buggers curse farms, and the longer they stay the longer the curse. So there I was trying to catch the beast, when WHAM! Tripped on a rock, fell on my wrist and got a face full of mud. The muggle brought me to one of their hospitals, so I figured I'd let the doctors have their fun, but I'll see Madam Pomfrey later about fixing it. So all in all, the stupid beast is still lurking around that farm, and we had to have the muggle stripped of their memory for nothing."

"I see. So is it true that you're now apart of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. I had a chance to work with Amos Diggory in Sweden on a Bowtruckle problem and he offered me a job. Can't complain, I get to travel, see the world, and all the other things I never got to do because of my… well my family situation."

Harry lightly slapped Ron on the back as they made their way to the center of the office.

"Well good for you, mate." He said knowing that it would make Ron feel a little less self conscious about his family's income.

"So I heard that you're in training. How's that working out for you?" Ron asked as they seated themselves in front of the Headmaster's enormous claw-footed desk.

"Exhausting. I'm working on my stealth and disguise training, and I was able to get away with using the invisibility cloak for a few days, but now they want me to focus on other means of hiding myself. Specifically the Disillusionment charm, so I can be 'hands free.'" Harry replied as he slouched in his chair and closed his eyes.

"Yeah, but all the exhaustion will pay off in the end, mate." Ron said.

Harry opened his eyes and looked at his old friend. Harry knew that Ron understood why he was aspiring to become an Auror. Though Harry never told Ron or Hermione why, he knew that the proximity of their friendship didn't need words, it was an unspoken understanding. Thinking of his two friends made Harry finally realize that Hermione wasn't in the office.

"I wonder where Hermione is?" Harry said as he sat up in his chair. He looked to Ron for the answer, but noticed the frown that replaced his once smiling features. Harry was about to ask him what was wrong when Professor Snape entered the office.

"Well, well it seems our savior has come to call." Snape hissed as he stared directly at Harry. Harry was ready to respond when professor McGonagall, and Professor Dumbledore came in.

"Exactly how old is he?" Ron whispered as he watched Dumbledore sit in his chair behind his desk.

Harry watched Dumbledore get settled into his chair. His face seemed to scream his age. Wrinkles raced across his forehead, bags drooped under his eyes. His face was almost the same color as his snowy beard. But behind the half moon glasses, his eyes showed the same spirit and excitement as Harry felt when he first arrived at Hogwarts.

"Welcome back, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley."

"It's good to be back, sir." Harry replied.

Yes, well I wish it were on different terms. I've called you here, because He's back." Dumbledore said causing Harry and Ron to blink at his up front manner.

"Back, sir?" Ron asked.

"yes, Mr. Weasley. And with more Death Easters than in the past."

"How do you know he's back, sir?" Harry asked.

"Well Mr. Potter, there has been numerous reports of muggles disappearing in England and in Scotland where we know he's returned after all this time. What he wants with these muggles, we don't know."

"So you want us to find out why he wants them?" Ron asked.

"Not just the three of you, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore replied, " but the new Order."

Harry and Ron looked at one another both with their eyebrows raised, then looked back at the Headmaster.

"And who is in this new Order, sir?" Harry asked.

"It's the same witches and wizards, that we had a few years ago," McGonagall began.

"Except with a few more additions." A voice finished, causing the two boys to jump in their seats.

"Bloody hell! Where did you come from?" Ron asked as he clutched his chest.

Hermione ignored the redheaded young man's question and made her way to the seat on the other side of Harry.

"I apologize for my tardiness, Headmaster, but I ran into the S.P.E.W. Club President and she had a few matters to discuss before today's meeting." She said as she sat down.

"The _Spew_ Club President? Don't tell me you're still going on about that!" Ron asked astounded.

"It's not _Spew_ it's the Society for the Promotion of Elvish welfare, and yes, _Ronald_, me and thirty other students are still going on about the gross injustice of the treatment of house-elves. You of all people should be a member, being an advocate for beasts and beings." Hermione spat while glaring at him past Harry.

"So who are these new additions to the Order. Headmaster?" Harry asked trying to change the subject, before thing s got too heated.

" Well, there's the three of you, as well as Mr. Longbottom, Miss Lovegood, the Weasley twins, and your sister Mr. Weasley." Professor McGonagall answered.

" I trust that the three of you will do your best to research as much as you before the other's arrive at the end of the week." Dumbledore said.

The trio nodded, rose for their seats and made their way to the door.

"Oh, and Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said before they opened the office door, "I'm 154 years young."

Ron stood there wide eyed, blushed then turned to leave the office before he embarrassed himself any further. Harry chuckled, and Hermione shook her head as Ron passed and made his way down the stairs.

"I can't believe he heard me. I couldn't have said that any louder than a whisper," Ron ranted as they walked down the hall. "How did he hear- wait a bloody moment." Ron swore as he stopped in his tracks halfway down the marble staircase in the Entrance Hall. Harry and Hermione stopped a few steps further down, and turned to look at him. "Did Dumbledore say that Ginny was part of the Order now?"

"Oh for the love of all things magical, Ron, she's nineteen. She has every right to be a part of the Order. And not to mention that she's of age." Hermione said as she rolled her eyes and continued to walk down the stairs.

"I know that she's of age, but still she's too young to be put in this kind of danger." Ron said as he followed her down to the main hall.

Harry slowly tagged along, but he knew that his two friends were about to have another row. He was about to say something to keep these two from getting at each other's throats, when Dennis Creevey came up to him with a million questions about why he was in the castle, and somehow managed to drag him into the Great Hall.

Hearing Ron's last statement made Hermione stop in her tracks and turned to him with that know-it-all look.

"Oh so I suppose that I'm too young to be part of the Order too then? You know cause I'm only a year older than her." She asked.

"Well, no I meant that she's too young to fight, and that she's not qualified." Ron replied.

"Not qualified!? She's just as skilled as you are Ron, if not more." She yelled.

"Yeah, but she's my sister and…"

"It's just like you to be overprotective, and never let her experience anything for herself." Hermione interrupted.

"I never told her that she couldn't go out and explore things on her own."

" No, but you certainly wrote about it enough." As soon as the words left her mouth, Hermione wished that she had the Timeturner to keep herself from saying it.

"Don't go there, Hermione." Ron replied through clenched teeth.

" And why not? Because you're still too scared to talk about what you wrote?" She pressed.

"No, and who said I was scared to talk about it?" He asked in a raised voice.

"No one. But obviously you were if you left for Romania without so much as saying goodbye."

"I didn't say goodbye because I was still mad at you. You had no right to read my journal! And as far as I'm concerned you have no say on whether or not Ginny can be in the Order."

"Neither do you. And don't change the subject Ronald, you know we need to talk about this, about how you feel."

"There's nothing to talk about Hermione! Not anymore." Ron yelled.

Hermione realized the nature of his comment. After two years of wondering if he still felt the same way as he did in their last year, he dropped the bomb. He didn't love her anymore.

"'ermione?" a voice called out to her, "is this bloke botherin' ya?"

"No," she said staring Ron directly in the eye, "I'm used to it from him. If you'll excuse me, I have a S.P.E.W. meeting to attend to. Goodbye Hagrid."

And with that she brushed past Ron, and went back up the stairs. Before she was behind him, Ron saw the tears that were forming in her eyes. An old entry came to his mind when she was gone.

_"-I hate to fight with her, and I can't stand the thought of hurting her…"_

No truer words have ever left his mind, and in two years he had forgotten what the pain felt like when he hurt her. A weighed pressure that lay upon his chest and wouldn't leave until things were right. He had to make it right. He turned, ready to run up the stairs, when a twelve foot mass stopped him in his place.

"Ron? Blimey, didn't even realize it was you. How've you been?" Hagrid asked.

Ron stared at the top of the staircase, and watched the rain pelt against the window on it's landing. The weather was expressing his mood at this precise moment. Giving in, he decided he'd just have to live with this pressure for a while.

"To tell you the truth, Hagrid, I've been better. Say, you wouldn't happen to know the best way to get rid of a nogtail, would you?" Ron asked the half giant as they made their way to his hut.


End file.
